


something like fate

by birdlaced



Series: the sound in silence [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Book 3: Fire (Avatar), Developing Relationship, M/M, Pining, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25262683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdlaced/pseuds/birdlaced
Summary: “You know, you never did tell me when you found out we were soulmates."
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: the sound in silence [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830187
Comments: 23
Kudos: 1089





	something like fate

**Author's Note:**

> apparently this au is not done with me oops
> 
> you definitely need to read the previous fic to understand this one btw

They're sitting in Zuko's new room in the Western Air Temple when Sokka brings it up. Zuko is on the floor, back against the wall and facing Sokka who is sitting cross legged on the edge of the bed.

“You know, you never did tell me when you found out we were soulmates,” Sokka says, waving around one of Zuko’s newly polished blades with little tact. Occasionally though—and this happens so rarely that Zuko is half convinced he’s imaging it—Sokka will move the swords in such a way that reveals he’s definitely received some kind of training. The way the blade slices through the air is too smooth to be accidental.

Zuko wonders who Sokka trained under, what style he excels in, what kind of sword he prefers. There’s still a lot to learn about his soulmate, and Zuko is enjoying the challenge.

“What are you talking about? I definitely did,” Zuko replies, polishing his second blade with a rag. It rests over his knees while Zuko makes sure to buff out any smudges.

“No, you didn’t,” Sokka says, and then makes a shushing noise when Zuko tries to argue again. “You told me _when_ your mark showed up and how you learned what it said, you never told me _how_ you figured out it was me.”

“Oh,” Zuko says, because Sokka does have a point. “Well that’s…”

Sokka automatically picks up on the way Zuko trails off and he perks up. “It's?”

Putting his blade down, Zuko gets off the floor to come around to sit next to Sokka and desperately tries to formulate some sort of response. Lucky for him, Sokka seems to take the hint that this is all a bit too much for Zuko and allows him to talk only when he’s ready. The issue is that Zuko doubts he’ll ever truly be ready, but Sokka is here and staring at him with such an open and patient expression that he can’t bring himself to not say anything.

“I wasn’t—I mean, you know how I used to be. It wasn't pretty and I—” Zuko cuts himself off with a frustrated groan. He drags his hand down his face and starts over. “Look, I’ve already told you all that I’m not exactly proud of the person I was in the past, and when I found out what your name was, well…”

Zuko trails off, biting on his nail. Sokka, for his part, just sighs and leans back on his hands, letting his head loll to one side. They sit in the silence for a minute, Sokka is the first to break it.

“After that whole your sister almost killing Aang business, there was a time where I’d considered burning off my mark,” Sokka admits. ”It was only for a split second, but the urge was there. And even if it _was_ only for a second _,_ I still doubted myself. I doubted you. I regretted it immediately, and I regret it even more now that I’m actually getting to know you.”

Ache blooms in Zuko's chest at the vicious nature of the confession, but he also gets it. Burning off his mark had never once crossed his mind, perhaps because he'd spent the better part of his time simply pretending it didn't exist. The world of soulmates had been new to him, and it had been terrifying. It was a lot easier to just act as though he was still living in the before, back when he was ignorant to it all.

“Why are you telling me this?” Zuko asks.

“I’m telling you this because I’m trying to make a point,” Sokka says. “I won’t judge you for who you were because I know that things were way different only a couple of months ago. They sure were different for me.”

Things _are_ different now. Both of them are different. Zuko looks down at Sokka’s wrist, which he now keeps bare for the world to see, as if to say to everyone, “Zuko is my soulmate and I’m not embarrassed about it.” He still wears his father’s bracelet, but it’s on his other wrist now—the wrist with the now healed over burn Zuko had accidentally given him.

The scar is vicious looking, but Sokka claims it makes him look cooler, more rugged. That’s probably for Zuko’s benefit, to make him feel less guilty about being the one who put it there. He’d been hopeful that with Katara’s healing technique the scarring would be minimal, but it’s almost as noticeable as Zuko’s own. At least it's not on his face.

To avoid thinking about it any longer, Zuko reaches out and presses his fingertips against Sokka's wrist, touching his own name. His chest constricts when Sokka turns his arm over to give him easier access.

Finally, Zuko says, “I got banished by my father when I was thirteen, Uncle finally sat me down and explained soulmates to me. He’d wanted to ever since I got my mark, but Father strictly forbade it so he had little choice in the matter. But as the banished son, nobody really cared if I knew. So he told me.”

Sokka silently slides his hand into Zuko’s, giving his hand a soft squeeze. Zuko gives him a tight smile.

“By then I was too worried about regaining my honor and going back home, so I didn’t care. Well, that’s not exactly right. Maybe it’s more right to say I _pretended_ not to care,” Zuko admits. “Everything happened too fast back then, I didn’t really get enough time to understand what it truly meant to have a soulmate and I didn’t ever spend the time to do so. Then I met you.

“Obviously I didn’t know you were my soulmate at first glance since I, you know, tried to fight you.” Zuko’s lips curl into an almost smile here. It’s a positive memory in his mind now. Not because it’s the day he finally found the avatar and started his journey towards bettering himself, but because it is the first day he ever met Sokka. Sokka, who he’s quickly growing attached to.

Zuko still can’t believe that this fondness could grow so exponentially, but it has. His affection for Sokka seems boundless and far greater than the sum of its parts. It scares him, but he wants to continue to face this new reality head on.

“Ha, I just remembered I hit you upside the head with my boomerang. Good times,” Sokka says with a laugh. “Picture that! Little old me getting the better of the prince of the Fire Nation.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Zuko rolls his eyes before he continues. “Anyway, when Aang knocked me down he said your name. I was half convinced I’d imagined it since I just went sprawling on the floor, but I knew pretty much from then on. There really was no denying it, once the dust had settled.”

Glancing up at his soulmate, Zuko blinks in surprise when he finds Sokka’s mouth hanging open. He asks, “What?”

“You’ve known since the _beginning?”_ Sokka’s grip on Zuko’s hand goes almost painfully tight.

“Uh yeah, that’s what I just said. Why do you think I was gaping at you like an idiot when you pushed me over the side of the ship?”

“I don’t know! I just thought you were like, in awe of my sick fighting skills.”

“It definitely wasn’t that.”

Sokka flops back onto the bed, hands coming up to clutch his forehead. “I can’t believe this. I mean, I assumed you knew because like, Fire Nation prince and all that, but the fact that you knew from day one when it took _me_ months.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I tried to ignore it and pretend you didn’t exist. Uncle had told me that soulmates rarely were allowed to be together in our family, so I never bothered to consider it,” Zuko says, twiddling his thumbs. “I thought about it constantly though, even though I pretended otherwise. You’re kind of hard to ignore. It was like you demanded my attention.”

Sokka turns on his side, facing Zuko. “Oh, well that makes me feel better. Good to know I’m captivating.”

“That’s not my point,” Zuko snaps, hating the way he feels his face go hot. “I meant that if you had known earlier and tried to reason with me I probably would have freaked out and tried to hit you. We both needed the time apart to come to terms with things.”

Sokka sighs. “Yeah, you’re probably right. No, you’re definitely right. It’s still annoying though.”

“Yeah.”

There’s no response from Sokka, so Zuko just leans back on the bed until they’re laying next to each other. He can feel Sokka’s eyes on him, tracing his profile. It’s a companionable silence, one Zuko doesn’t yet have with the other members of the gang but has quickly achieved with Sokka. Sokka, his soulmate.

Turning to look at Sokka, he finds that faces are so close it would take almost nothing for their lips to touch. Despite this, Zuko stays rooted in place. He’s not ready to seal the bond. Not yet.

And it's evident from the way Sokka glances down at Zuko's lips for a split second before looking away with a blush that he's going through the same mental gymnastics as Zuko is.

“I’m glad we ended up here though,” Zuko admits. “Feels like fate, or something like it.”

“I had a friend who believed in fate. Said I had to face my destiny eventually.” Sokka’s eyes go stormy, and Zuko has a bad feeling about what might have happened to this friend of his. 

“What happened?” he asks.

“She turned into the moon, if you’d believe it,” Sokka says.

“Oh,” Zuko says, and because he can’t help but put his foot in his mouth, he continues with, “That’s rough.”

Sokka laughs, a little broken. “Thanks, Zuko. I know she’s watching me, at least. And I’d like to think I’m making her proud.”

“I’m sure you are,” Zuko says softly, and at the mention of earning someone's respect, Zuko is suddenly hit with a yearning to talk to his uncle.

Would his uncle be proud of him for finally doing what’s right and even meeting his soulmate along the way? Probably not, since Zuko had betrayed him so greatly. And while Zuko may not be doing this for anyone’s approval, it would be nice to have his uncle’s. More than nice. It would mean so much to Zuko to know that his uncle still saw something worthwhile in him.

Zuko isn’t sure how long he’s being silent and brooding, but it must be long enough for Sokka to notice and worry. His hand rests on Zuko’s cheek, thumb brushing against his cheekbone.

“I can see you thinking,” Sokka says, pulling Zuko out of his thoughts. His voice is soft, like a wave lapping at the shore. “Talk to me.”

It’s startling just how easily Sokka can see through him. When it comes to this whole soulmate business, Sokka has been quick on the uptake all while Zuko feels like he’s wading through murky waters, just barely keeping his head above water. Meanwhile Sokka can take one look at Zuko and see every little nook and cranny of Zukko’s soul.

And despite being so open and talkative, Sokka seems like such a mystery to him. It’s as though his smiles and laughs feel like an emotional barrier that Zuko has to knock down but he can’t manage just yet. It’s annoying. Zuko is a highly trained Fire Nation prince and he can’t handle one boy with an pretty smile.

He gives Sokka a tight lipped smile, and places his own hand over Sokka’s. “I’m just worrying over situations I know I can’t control.”

“What kind of situations?”

Zuko lets out a long breath, curling his fingers around Sokka’s. “My uncle, mostly.”

“Ah,” Sokka says, like he gets it immediately. “I see.”

Zuko’s glad for Sokka’s innate ability to read between the lines, because he wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain everything that happened. The intricate layers of guilt that rest over him like blankets weigh him down, and his tongue feels heavy in his mouth with the words he struggles to find.

“He probably hates me now,” Zuko says. It’s the only thing he _can_ say.

“You don’t know that,” Sokka says. He swipes a strand of hair from Zuko’s forehead, pushing it back. “When you see him next, just apologize sincerely. I’m sure he will forgive you just like we did. And you’ve got the added bonus that he loves you! I couldn’t stand you at first and yet here we are.”

Just like that, Zuko’s tension cracks and he feels lighter. A small smile makes its way onto his face, soft but genuine. Sokka has a knack for pulling smiles out of him.

He gently shoves Sokka’s shoulder. “Don’t be rude.”

Sokka laughs. “Oh come on, turnabout is fair play. I mean, you basically told me you tried to pretend I didn’t exist.”

“Because you made me nervous!” Zuko sputters.

“Your point?”

Zuko scowls. “You’re insufferable.”

“Tough luck that you’re stuck with me forever then,” Sokka says, voice a teasing lilt.

“I don’t know,” Zuko says.“We’re in the middle of a war and you’ve got two left feet. I'd probably turn my back on you for one second and you'd get into trouble.”

Sokka’s mouth falls open in shock. “Hey, I’ll have you know that I’ve been trained by the most skilled fighters in the world! I’m leaps and bounds better now. I’m a mighty warrior and I can hold my own, thank you very much.”

“You couldn't when we met,” Zuko points out.

Sokka is on his feet at an instant and scrambling for Zuko’s swords. He swipes them off the floor and then holds them out for Zuko to take. “Come on, we’re sparring right now. I’m going to wipe the floor with you and show you I _am_ a mighty warrior.”

Zuko smirks and sits up. “Fine.”

The smirk makes Sokka squint down at him, and that’s the only warning Zuko gets before Sokka says, “Last person to the training grounds has to clean Momo’s ears,” before he takes off running out of the room. Zuko only has a chance to yell out in protest before he runs after him.

They’ll probably get yelled at by Katara about running in the temple, but Zuko doesn’t care.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on twitter @birdlaced!


End file.
